Shimabara Courtesans Exorcizing Demons 1750 - 1799

Miyagawa Isshō created this ink on paper hanging scroll, "Shimabara Courtesans Exorcizing Demons," during the Edo period. The artwork primarily uses ink, applied with brushes of varying sizes and softness to create lines and washes. Notice the stark contrast between the spare, rapid strokes that define the landscape and architecture, versus the finer, more deliberate lines used for the figures' faces and costumes. The material properties of ink—its fluidity and capacity for dilution—allow for a wide range of tonal variations. This effect suggests depth and atmosphere with minimal means. Isshō was trained in the Kano school of painting, known for its rigorous techniques and emphasis on brushwork. However, he was later expelled from the school. Here, he breaks with those conventions and creates a more individual style. The scroll format itself is significant. This form reflects both personal devotion and connoisseurship. It's a format intimately tied to cultural practices and aesthetic values. Through the specific application of ink, and the format in which it exists, the work exists in conversation between the traditions of fine art and craft.